Obesity Stats

• More than one-third (34.9% or 78.6 million) of U.S. adults are obese
• The estimated annual medical cost of obesity in the U.S. was $147 billion in 2008 U.S. dollars; the medical costs for people who are obese were $1,429 higher than those of normal weight
• Percent of adolescents age 12-19 years who are obese: 18.4% (2009-2010)
• Percent of children age 6-11 years who are obese: 18.0% (2009-2010)
• Percent of children age 2-5 years who are obese: 12.1% (2009-2010)
• Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents in the past 30 years
• In 2012, more than one third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese
• Obese youth are more likely to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure. In a population-based sample of 5- to 17-year-olds, 70% of obese youth had at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Obese adolescents are more likely to have prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels indicate a high risk for development of diabetes
• Children and adolescents who are obese are at greater risk for bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, and social and psychological problems such as stigmatization and poor self-esteem
• Overweight and obesity are associated with increased risk for many types of cancer, including cancer of the breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, gall bladder, thyroid, ovary, cervix, and prostate, as well as multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Interface Design Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Augmenting Human Capabilities Through Interfaces

• The three technologies that will be discussed are QR codes, mobile augmented reality, and touch screen

QR CODES - PRINT MEETS INTERACTION

• The QR code is a barcode with the capacity to hold tens of thousands of bits of information, and acts as a shortcut to web-based content from the physical world
• The data types that a QR code can connect to include calendars, v- or e-cards, email addresses, geo-locations, phone numbers, URLs, e-tickets, and surveys
• The QR code has a direct relevance to graphic designers, as it acts like a bridge between print and digital
• These QR codes may be sculptural or carved, and yet remain readable to a QR app interfacing with web-based content specific to the relevant geographic location. This development makes a connection between the QR code and augmented reality

AUGMENTED INTERACTION

• AF is a technology that blurs the digital world wight he real world by digitally overlaying a level of additional information onto what can be seen
• AR, using the camera in a smartphone and an app, essentially augments (increases) the real-world environment of the user by superimposing digital detail in real time.
• AR needs three components to successfully function:
• a marker to trigger the AR layered information
• software to process the marker and deliver the content
• an interface to bring the three components of marker, software and content together to be accessed by the user
• Too much information overlaid at any one time will reduce the communication, not enough and the user will miss out.

THE TOUCH SCREEN WORLD

• We as human beings, evolve far more slowly than technology. Therefore, the capabilities of humans remains the same, they just need to adapt to a new way of working with a new tool.
• We only really sense the feel of glass when we swipe or press the screen. It can therefore be said that the UI is "under glass"; whereas with desktops we were separated from the content by the mouse and pointer. With touch screens we're now that bit closer to the interaction, but tantalizingly still not quite "in" the interaction.
• What is still missing from the interaction while the interface remains "under glass" is the sensation of texture.
• Already, scientists are prototyping texture touch screens.
• The non-digital design processes and skill sets learned at art college and on design degrees that focus on physical materials, such as packaging design, will be very useful for future UI design

The Future Interface: Design to Make Technology Human

• Charles Babbage designed the first computer between 1833 and 1871.
• Then came Apple in 1984
• We forgot that information exists across systems, not just within them. And because we are so addicted to what happens inside screens, we forgot how to be human.
• New interfaces are increasingly designed with human habits in mind.
• When we can design across systems, devices will evolve or disappear. We will not stop consuming content, rather consume it in a way that suits human behavior, not the other way around.
• Blind people can now read with their finger, an example of the human body as an interface, assisted by technology.
• Audio is an exciting medium to deliver content because unlike visual information, it doesn’t take up space.
• Not only should the interface be part of our existing environment, the content should react or be generated by our environment. Welcome to contextual content.